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When you are mixing stainless and aluminum its best to use sleeve washers to insulate the dissimilar metals. McMaster Carr is a good source. You could also use an oversized plate on top that extend over the aluminum hardtop frame.

The chipping of the edges on hatches and hardtop are common. It has to do with the way GW builds them. The bottom edge isn't sealed well enough, water gets in and in a cold environment it pops the gelcoat. Something GW should have figured out. Not sure what is going on with your snaps.

The hardtop isn't that strong at least not on my boat. Some kind of honeycomb coring. Both riggers had backing plates and wedges to level the riggers. both had cracking top and bottom. I pulled my hardtop, opened it up and reinforced with Coosa board out to the aluminum structure and welded...

I have 4 batteries in my 268 Islander. Twin F150's that charge their starting battery and another battery using the charging shunt. If the motor doesn't have a charging shunt you can add it. The starting batteries are isolated and won't be drained by any of the "house" loads. Duracell AGM 34M's...

How tight are the screws into the gelcoat? Gelcoat could be too thick, holes drilled undersized and screws too tight. Different snap vendor - changed size. I like to right-size the screw holes and bed the hardware in 3M 4000 to keep them from working out.

Ken looked at my numbers and told be my 3-blades were "slipping" and inefficient. Dropped 2" of pitch and went to 4-blade props. Significantly improved my midrange and in my case I didn't loose any top end. Game changer for me. Top speed is all testosterone. Prop for how you use the boat. I'll...

These guys that are convincing people to send money are low end thiefs. Barely amateurs. Fraud and identity theft has gotten way more sophisticated. Today they are not hacking in - they convince you to let them in and frequently people do. Basically the fraudsters have a little information...

I'm not a fan of the piezo alarms. Hard to tell where they are coming from. Not loud enough. They use them because they are low current. I want something that is no mistaking "YOU ARE IN TROUBLE". Probably a bell with a relay to handle the current. I do not have one installed in my boat today...

I'm not seeing what the scam is. Was it PM's?

GW bilges are generally pretty dry. I wouldn't mount too high - 3" or so aft compartment. If you place it too high and are having water coming in you want as much warning as possible before you have too much water in the bilge.

Now that I switched to a non-white hull color maybe I’ll try something different this summer. I plan to hit the boat shows this Spring and shop.

They really should be done as one piece so you need 3 yards. And you need some piping material and a sewing machine. This is a very common material that shops stock maybe at pre-pandemic prices and have remnants.

When you say strip to the bare teak - use the Te-Ka two part or the sudsy ammonia and oxalic acid (in the wood brighteners). When dry two coats of teak oil are fine. You may have to do it again in the spring depending on the weather and sun. It's really not difficult to strip, bleach and re-oil...

Try SailRite. https://www.sailrite.com/Morbern-Seabrook-White-54-Vinyl-Channeling-Fabric You would get 54" x 36" if you buy one yard (the minimum). Or your local canvas guy.

We use the teak oil on the covering boards and leave the cockpit decking natural. It's really isn't a big production to strip and re-finish. He should try it and see. If he want's to go to something harder it is an easy step.

I put a vented loop to relieve back pressure on the overboard pumpout. Not sure if its needed but I did it later. Getting these pumps to "lift" can be a real problem. The silicone hoses help - they seal well. Back pressure on the outlet affects it too. For all it's messy problems the Groco...

I have done a bunch of teak work over the years. From my Egg Harbor covering boards and back of the house to my friends 56' F&S cockpit and covering boards. I have used polyurethane, Sickens and simple chemicals to maintain them. You have to remember the harder the finish, the longer it lasts...

You need to decide if the solution is real! I looked at the Whale pumps. I decided to go with the Jabsco. I reworked everything and all seems good. Use silicone hoses - easier to open up but a little pricey.

Maybe if I were using the engine for racing but not my everyday boat.